IN YOUR OPINION

Letters to the Editor for March 26, 2013

Published: Tuesday, March 26, 2013 at 6:30 a.m.

Last Modified: Monday, March 25, 2013 at 9:07 p.m.

Handouts don’t help panhandlers

It is normal for us to have empathy towards those who appear less fortunate when they are standing at intersections holding cardboard signs. Silently, we may say to ourselves, “Hey, that could happen to me.” That is what most panhandlers are counting on — they want to tug at your heart and your wallet. Every cent that we hand over is free money to them. They do not report it for tax purposes, nor count it if they apply for or receive benefits such as food stamps, welfare or Medicaid. I believe there are basically three categories of people who are homeless: first, those who have fallen on tough times due to situations beyond their control; second, those who are mentally ill and can’t make clear, rational decisions to provide for themselves; and last, those who are in a bad situation due to their actions, such as substance abuse, criminal behavior or just plain apathy towards doing anything for themselves. Stopped at a red light, looking at the person with the cardboard sign is of course not going to tell you which category the person falls into. I have only given money twice directly to these individuals:

Once to a road-side panhandler holding a sign asking for beer money. I gave him a dollar because I felt he was at least honest.

The second time was to a man who came into Wendy’s while I was eating with my family. He sat down and began eating butter packets he was carrying with him.

If you feel you need to do something to help, then donate your time and or money to organizations that are actually helping. Charity is part of being a Christian, however, handing a dollar out of your window at an intersection is not charity and it can in fact be enabling bad behavior.

Robert Meyle

Ocala

Thankful for our giving community

What a blessed community we live in! There are many groups and agencies who take seriously God’s call to help our neighbors in need. When the Star Banner ran a story about the shortage of food in our many food pantries, the community responded with food drives, donations and volunteers.

The need of many of our neighbors is often chronic and they need us to step up and help. So many, many have — isn’t this a great community in which to live? We have so much for which to be thankful ... one of the best is living here.

James R. Kuse

Interfaith Board President

Ocala

Parties must work together on budget

I see that we now have dueling budget proposals. Both Republican and Democrats are proudly thumping their chests proclaiming they have the solution to all our problems. Unfortunately, what we have are merely political documents disguised as budgets.

The Republican plan first of all cuts taxes, which just happens to be right out of Republican ideology. Then their budget cuts deeply into entitlements and social programs which just happen to be a part of Democratic ideology.

The Democrats plan is to raise taxes primarily on the rich which fellow Democrats endorse. Their plan then has stimulus spending and only marginally tackles the entitlement dilemma. Incidentally a Democratic priority.

Unfortunately, the political reality is that we have a Democratic president, a Democratic Senate and a Republican House, which means that neither plan has any chance at all of passing. Hence, the plans are merely political to fire up the base and paint the other side as not really interested in solving the budget.

What really needs to be done is to have Paul Ryan and Harry Reid come together, shake hands and retreat into a closed room and collectively draw up a budget plan that can actually pass. Both sides have good ideas that can be worked out but only until they both realize that, as the Rolling Stones once aptly put it, “You can’t always get what you want.”

John Hakkio

Ocala

Not a fix for Silver Springs

I have been an employee at Silver Springs for 33 years and now have the emotional task of finding homes for over 250 animals, knowing we are losing our jobs soon.

All of this has been kept quiet. The majority of the public has no idea that they animals are being forced to move. Also, they think we are all becoming state employees, which is false. Palace and the animals are not the cause of the river’s ills. Palace is the target because they are the current lease holders. People studying the river through the years have told us so.

Surrounding development and extreme drought are the reasons. Dyes released at Walmart and Orange Springs have made it to the river. What does that tell us? DEP said fecal contaminant was a major cause. We got rid of 60 animals in 2004 and the nitrate problem remains. Now our alligators are to blame. What do the ones in the river do?

Keepers spend half their day removing fecal from pens and it gets hauled off. No one complains about the constant flow of tanker trucks pulling water out of the aquifer across the street, six days a week.

The state is pushing to bring concessionaires in after we are gone. This will not fix the river. I hope we are not going through all this for nothing. Come soon before all is gone. Then go to Homosassa Springs State Park where you can see lots of animals.

<p><b>Handouts don't help panhandlers</b></p><p>It is normal for us to have empathy towards those who appear less fortunate when they are standing at intersections holding cardboard signs. Silently, we may say to ourselves, “Hey, that could happen to me.” That is what most panhandlers are counting on — they want to tug at your heart and your wallet. Every cent that we hand over is free money to them. They do not report it for tax purposes, nor count it if they apply for or receive benefits such as food stamps, welfare or Medicaid. I believe there are basically three categories of people who are homeless: first, those who have fallen on tough times due to situations beyond their control; second, those who are mentally ill and can't make clear, rational decisions to provide for themselves; and last, those who are in a bad situation due to their actions, such as substance abuse, criminal behavior or just plain apathy towards doing anything for themselves. Stopped at a red light, looking at the person with the cardboard sign is of course not going to tell you which category the person falls into. I have only given money twice directly to these individuals:</p><p>Once to a road-side panhandler holding a sign asking for beer money. I gave him a dollar because I felt he was at least honest.</p><p>The second time was to a man who came into Wendy's while I was eating with my family. He sat down and began eating butter packets he was carrying with him.</p><p>If you feel you need to do something to help, then donate your time and or money to organizations that are actually helping. Charity is part of being a Christian, however, handing a dollar out of your window at an intersection is not charity and it can in fact be enabling bad behavior.</p><p><i>Robert Meyle</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Thankful for our giving community</b></p><p>What a blessed community we live in! There are many groups and agencies who take seriously God's call to help our neighbors in need. When the Star Banner ran a story about the shortage of food in our many food pantries, the community responded with food drives, donations and volunteers.</p><p>The need of many of our neighbors is often chronic and they need us to step up and help. So many, many have — isn't this a great community in which to live? We have so much for which to be thankful ... one of the best is living here.</p><p><i>James R. Kuse</p><p>Interfaith Board President</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p> </p><p><b>Parties must work together on budget</b></p><p>I see that we now have dueling budget proposals. Both Republican and Democrats are proudly thumping their chests proclaiming they have the solution to all our problems. Unfortunately, what we have are merely political documents disguised as budgets.</p><p>The Republican plan first of all cuts taxes, which just happens to be right out of Republican ideology. Then their budget cuts deeply into entitlements and social programs which just happen to be a part of Democratic ideology.</p><p>The Democrats plan is to raise taxes primarily on the rich which fellow Democrats endorse. Their plan then has stimulus spending and only marginally tackles the entitlement dilemma. Incidentally a Democratic priority.</p><p>Unfortunately, the political reality is that we have a Democratic president, a Democratic Senate and a Republican House, which means that neither plan has any chance at all of passing. Hence, the plans are merely political to fire up the base and paint the other side as not really interested in solving the budget.</p><p>What really needs to be done is to have Paul Ryan and Harry Reid come together, shake hands and retreat into a closed room and collectively draw up a budget plan that can actually pass. Both sides have good ideas that can be worked out but only until they both realize that, as the Rolling Stones once aptly put it, “You can't always get what you want.”</p><p><i>John Hakkio</p><p>Ocala</i></p><p> </p><p><b>Not a fix for Silver Springs</b></p><p>I have been an employee at Silver Springs for 33 years and now have the emotional task of finding homes for over 250 animals, knowing we are losing our jobs soon.</p><p>All of this has been kept quiet. The majority of the public has no idea that they animals are being forced to move. Also, they think we are all becoming state employees, which is false. Palace and the animals are not the cause of the river's ills. Palace is the target because they are the current lease holders. People studying the river through the years have told us so.</p><p>Surrounding development and extreme drought are the reasons. Dyes released at Walmart and Orange Springs have made it to the river. What does that tell us? DEP said fecal contaminant was a major cause. We got rid of 60 animals in 2004 and the nitrate problem remains. Now our alligators are to blame. What do the ones in the river do?</p><p>Keepers spend half their day removing fecal from pens and it gets hauled off. No one complains about the constant flow of tanker trucks pulling water out of the aquifer across the street, six days a week.</p><p>The state is pushing to bring concessionaires in after we are gone. This will not fix the river. I hope we are not going through all this for nothing. Come soon before all is gone. Then go to Homosassa Springs State Park where you can see lots of animals.</p><p><i>Joanne Zeliff</p><p>Ocala</i></p>